Zhilin Sou’s map of the Blackwind Cave only showed thirteen hundred feet.

The person who had entered this cave wasn’t Zhilin Sou himself, but rather a friend of his, a companion. Based on what Jian Chou could now see, this person was very likely Qu Zhengfeng!

Unless there were others here who had traveled without leaving the slightest trace.

One thousand feet was merely the end for ordinary people.

For body refining, there seemed to be still a long way to go.

The black wind patterned bones in Jian Chou’s body had already completed two-thirds, most of her bones had turned black, and the other parts of her body, aside from the skeleton, had already undergone countless regrowths.

As long as the head didn’t fall off and the bones didn’t shatter, those who had practiced “Human Artifact” had almost undying levels of physical recovery ability!

“Human Artifact” stated that black wind-patterned bones were considered complete once they reached two-thirds completion.

But theoretically, the more the better.

Jian Chou felt she still had strength left and didn’t want to stop here.

Taking one last look at the inscriptions side by side on the cave wall, even Jian Chou herself could smell a strange scent of gunpowder.

Perhaps…

If someone came later, they might think this was Yashan showing off?

She shook her head and turned to continue advancing deeper into the Blackwind Cave.

“Whoo…”

Having reached this point, the wind sound passing through crevices in the cave wall had become soft and gentle, like the sound of a xiao flute.

Stepping through this almost musical wind sound, Jian Chou walked against the wind.

Inside the cave, there were only changes in the black wind; she didn’t know that outside, winter had gone and spring had come, summer had passed, and autumn had arrived.

Things changed and stars shifted, white horses passing through gaps, originally hurried, gone in the blink of an eye.

Three hundred li outside the Blackwind Cave, Yashan, Huanqiao Peak.

The weather was nice today. Even sitting on Yashan’s sword at Huanqiao Peak, one could see the mighty waters of the Nine-Head River surging below.

Elder Xihe held a pile of jade slips, chattering endlessly: “More than twenty months ago, the Jianzhu Sect falsely accused our Yashan’s eldest martial sister, Jian Chou, of murder. Now they can’t even find their own sect disciple’s corpse—simply slandering with bloody mouths! Their people still dare to block the entrance of the Blackwind Cave, making a huge fuss. Master Uncle Fudao, won’t you do something about it? There are only seven days left until the Small Assembly. This is like—”

“Shut your mouth, mountain man!”

Sitting on the Yashan sword, gnawing on a bone, Fudao Shanren couldn’t bear it anymore and threw a chicken bone at Elder Xihe!

“Smack!”

Elder Xihe’s snow-white hair immediately got stained with grease. He stared at Fudao Shanren in stunned silence, unable to speak.

Ever since the day those two lads, Yan Chensha, brought back the news, Fudao Shanren’s ears were about to grow calluses.

“You people keep saying the Jianzhu Sect is bad here, bad there, wanting to find an opportunity to destroy them. But don’t you think—is the Jianzhu Sect something you can destroy just because you want to? Does our Yashan still want any face? Things aren’t done this way. I tell you all, you just haven’t experienced great storms—your hearts aren’t black enough!”

“…”

Elder Xihe had never understood what having a black heart meant.

He only tremblingly picked off the chicken bone from his head, about to reason with Fudao Shanren.

“Master Uncle Fudao—”

“Shut up!”

Fudao Shanren glared again, holding up an entire chicken leg toward Elder Xihe.

“Do I need you to teach me how to do things? Huh? Are you more capable or am I? Instead of spending time worrying about little Jian Chou, why don’t you go see what’s keeping that fool Qu Zhengfeng from coming back? It’s been almost two years. I understand Jian Chou going to refine her body, but damn it, he’s been exploring some Qingfeng Hermitage hidden realm for two years too. If everyone in our Yashan were as unreliable as those two, we would have collapsed long ago!”

“Master Uncle…”

Elder Xihe felt that eldest martial sister and second martial brother were both very capable people, especially second martial brother, who shouldn’t bear this blame.

He opened his mouth to speak up for Qu Zhengfeng.

Unexpectedly, Fudao Shanren seemed to have anticipated his words and decisively shouted: “You’re also unreliable!”

“…”

When did I become unreliable, too?

Elder Xihe felt utterly wronged!

This was simply a huge hat thrown down from nowhere. Master Uncle Fudao, do you have any shame?

Fudao Shanren indicated: Mountain man never had any shame.

Seeing that Elder Xihe was choked speechless by him, he was finally satisfied. He snorted and said, “For us cultivation world people, what’s two years? Even if Jian Chou doesn’t make it to the Small Assembly, I’m not worried. After all, I haven’t seen Kunwu’s Xie Buchen make it either. Hehe, that Qu number two is probably doing something bad inside.”

Stroking his chin, Fudao Shanren squinted his eyes with pleasure.

He took another bite of chicken leg and pondered: “I should still ask about the Blackwind Cave situation.”

With that, he directly pulled out a transmission jade slip.

“Chensha, Chensha!”

Medicine Peak, below Sheshen Rock, before the Blackwind Cave.

Yan Chensha, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, hadn’t moved for a long time.

The moment the transmission jade slip lit up, he finally opened his eyes. With a wave of his palm, the jade slip was already in his hand.

Fudao Shanren was asking about the situation.

Sigh…

Turning his head to look at the green pears covering the old pear tree in front of the Blackwind Cave, almost two years had passed.

Thinking of his experiences over these nearly two years, Yan Chensha also felt an indescribable bitter feeling—

Who could have imagined?

Initially came to investigate the mysterious deaths of cultivators in Feitian Town. Not only did they never get any results about the deaths, but they ended up getting involved in this matter concerning martial grand-aunt Jian Chou. Originally thought they’d spend at most a month or two dealing with the Jianzhu Sect at most…

Now, just thinking about their two-month or half-year predictions made them all want to slap themselves several times!

Let you be arrogant, let you guess!

Serves you right to be slapped in the face!

The entrance to the Blackwind Cave was the same as it had been before!

People?

Nothing!

Not to mention two months—now almost two years had passed, and there wasn’t even a shadow!

Who had confidently sworn that Jian Chou would come out immediately?

Countless formations had crumbled under the bloody gazes of the Jianzhu Sect members…

One after another…

How many had there been?

Yan Chensha had lost count anyway!

Pan Qi, who had been as excited as a fighting cock at the beginning, now sat listlessly to the side like an eggplant hit by frost.

Over nearly two years, the Jianzhu Sect’s formations had gotten smaller and smaller, gradually changing from one-time disposable formations to formations that could automatically absorb surrounding spiritual qi, finally giving some relief to everyone who was already stretched thin.

But even so, providing energy for the formations to operate still required an enormous amount of spirit stones.

During this time, some Jianzhu Sect disciples couldn’t bear it anymore and requested to return to their sect. Unexpectedly, Xu Lan’er, who had been so sweet-talking initially, now turned hostile and refused to let everyone return.

Everyone secretly cursed that woman to death, but had no choice but to stay here fuming.

As for Zhao Yunbin, after being slapped unconscious by Yan Chensha that one time, she had become much more docile.

Another reason for her docility was—

Some time ago, after fruitlessly waiting for Jian Chou, Yashan had proposed to examine Jianzhu Sect’s Zheng Yun’er’s corpse. Zhao Yunbin reluctantly led people to Feitian Town to look.

Unexpectedly, when they pushed open the courtyard door, the house was empty inside!

The dead Zheng Yun’er had vanished into thin air!

Heaven knows how horrifying that moment was!

Zhao Yunbin screamed that it was impossible, but no one believed her.

How could someone already dead disappear?

Had Zheng Yun’er died, and if so, where had she gone after death?

Zhao Yunbin frantically shouted at Yashan, insisting they had deliberately stolen Zheng Yun’er’s corpse to clear Jian Chou of suspicion for indiscriminate killing.

Unfortunately…

Yan Chensha only looked at her coldly.

In his view, this was a frame-up from beginning to end. He only coldly uttered one sentence: “If my martial grand-aunt Jian Chou wanted to kill someone, what would one more Zhao Yunbin matter?”

To kill, of course, one would kill them all together!

Killing without leaving survivors was the prudent principle of doing things.

That martial grand-aunt Jian Chou could stay so long in the Blackwind Cave already proved her strength sufficiently. If she could not kill Zhao Yunbin, then Yashan would truly be disgraced.

So when Yan Chensha said this, Zhao Yunbin’s face turned ashen. Even with all the grievances in her heart, she didn’t dare say another word.

The dead person was gone, and it was a case of the dead telling no tales.

No one had seen Yashan’s eldest martial sister kill anyone—only the Jianzhu Sect insisted on it.

No matter how you looked at it, it was a complete mess.

Only Yan Chensha had his purposes and wasn’t in a hurry to slap the Jianzhu Sect down with one palm.

Their group, in a strange tacit understanding, returned to the despair-inducing Blackwind Cave.

The huge Blackwind Cave was like a monster with its mouth wide open, constantly devouring the countless spirit stones they threw into it!

Formations were something only sects with deep foundations could afford to play with. A major sect setting up formations for two years and burning spirit stones for two years would probably be strained, let alone the Jianzhu Sect, a mid-tier sect.

After experiencing too much despair, I became numb.

Except for their hearts that continued to bleed.

The only thing they learned was silence: when a formation collapsed, instead of shouting and raging as before, now they would just glance at it indifferently and set up a new one.

Yan Chensha knew the Jianzhu Sect’s situation like the back of his hand and had already seen plenty of jokes over these two years.

Scanning the surrounding situation, he told Fudao Shanren: “Martial grand-aunt hasn’t come out yet. Should I… go in and look for her?”

“…There are seven days left.”

Fudao Shanren, on the other end of the transmission jade slip, suddenly sighed.

Yan Chensha immediately fell silent.

Seven days referred to the time until the start of the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly.

Yashan would depart from the sect seven days later in the morning, heading for Kunwu.

Seven days later, the Central Domain would welcome the grandest event in ten years, and Kunwu’s Yiren Platform would be the focus of countless cultivators’ attention throughout the Central Domain.

That would be a huge arena of fame and fortune, a grand stage for countless new generations’ outstanding figures to step onto, the entire Central Domain, the entire Nineteen Continents.

If martial grand-aunt Jian Chou missed the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly because of the Blackwind Cave matter…

It would undoubtedly be a huge regret.

Yan Chensha’s suggestion was most prudent.

Previously not going in to find martial grand-aunt Jian Chou—firstly to trap the Jianzhu Sect, secondly because this was martial grand-aunt’s matter, and they shouldn’t interfere.

But now it was different.

After thinking it over, Fudao Shanren only replied: “That’s fine, do as you say. Three days from now, if Jian Chou still hasn’t come out, you go in and find her. If she’s at a crucial moment in cultivation, don’t disturb her. If not, then bring her back to go to Kunwu together.”

“Yes, martial grand-uncle, rest assured.”

Yan Chensha responded, but couldn’t help feeling anticipation in his heart.

Martial grand-uncle still hoped for martial grand-aunt Jian Chou to participate in the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly.

After all this time, every time he asked about the situation, his martial grand-uncle never mentioned a word. He thought martial grand-uncle didn’t have this intention.

Unexpectedly, martial grand-uncle still had martial grand-aunt in his heart.

Another year’s Left, Three Thousand Small Assembly…

This year would truly be when stars emerged in great numbers.

Dragon Gate had Zhou Chengjiang, Baiyue Valley had Lu Xiangleng, Wuyi Sect had Tao Zhang, Tongling Pavilion had Su Wuque, Fengmo Sword Sect had Li Boshan…

Furthermore, Kunwu’s Buchen, Yashan’s Jian Chou!

His gaze couldn’t help but carry a few traces of reminiscence.

Yan Chensha smiled slightly and put away the transmission jade slip in his palm, then looked toward Pan Qi’s position ahead, suddenly startled.

Pan Qi was also looking at a transmission jade slip now?

Could it be that the Jianzhu Sect was finally ready to give up?

Yan Chensha became curious.

Over there, Pan Qi was also very surprised to receive a transmission from his sect’s Xu Lan’er.

Ever since the last time when he suspected Xu Lan’er’s intentions in forcing them to stay here and was scolded by Xu Lan’er, Pan Qi had never contacted the sect again. Unexpectedly, after so long, Xu Lan’er had taken the initiative to send a transmission.

After being startled, Pan Qi originally wanted to directly put the jade slip away.

He didn’t want to deal with it.

But at the moment he was about to put it away, he hesitated again.

Frowning, Pan Qi still checked it.

Xu Lan’er’s voice transmitted from the jade slip into his mind: “Junior Brother Pan, you’ve worked hard these past two years. Now with the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly approaching, our opportunity has come. In these ten years, Yashan’s most outstanding genius is this one person, and she’s also the only one who can compete with Kunwu. So no matter what, no matter how long Jian Chou has been hiding in the Blackwind Cave, she must come out now. Even if she doesn’t come out, the two Yashan disciples waiting there with you will go find her.”

Hearing this, Pan Qi was suddenly startled, a burst of brilliant light exploding in his eyes!

Right!

That’s right!

With the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly approaching, Jian Chou couldn’t possibly not participate. If she participated, she had to come out.

Only seven days left!

Still worried she wouldn’t come out?

Xu Lan’er’s voice continued.

“I refused to let you leave the Blackwind Cave at all costs, only to have you watch her, confirming that this person hasn’t left the Blackwind Cave during this period. Now, you’ve been crouching there for two years—it’s time to exert yourselves. I don’t care if you borrow, steal, rob, or pool together yourselves, make me the best formation and trap it dead at the Blackwind Cave entrance. Don’t let even a mosquito escape!”

So…

Was this Xu Lan’er’s intention?

A flash of inspiration struck Pan Qi’s mind, and he seemed to suddenly understand.

“Could it be… could it be that Senior Sister Xu wants to trap her here?”

“You’re finally being smart.” Xu Lan’er, on the other end, laughed. “With the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly approaching, it doesn’t matter who killed whom, who died, or whether we can ultimately get that little hussy Jian Chou. What matters is that she cannot appear at Kunwu on time!”

Indeed so.

Pan Qi sighed inwardly, recalling Xu Lan’er’s words, but felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He had thought it was for the innocent Junior Sister Zheng who had died.

“Whether she comes out early or late, taking the opportunity to drag her to death here means we’ve already won half the battle. As for that Yashan cultivator, you few can form a formation to resist, and you can also go up to Sheshen Rock to call down a batch of people, saying the formation will be withdrawn in the next seven days. They’ll wait outside the Blackwind Cave.”

Xu Lan’er’s voice was already extremely smug.

“Under everyone’s watchful eyes, even if Yashan wants to act, they’ll have to consider the consequences. I don’t believe they’d sacrifice the dignity of a prestigious righteous sect!”

What a scheme, what a vicious scheme!

Pan Qi completely understood, comprehended. After being silent for a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, “Please rest assured, Senior Sister Xu Lan’er, we will handle this matter well.”

“Then I’ll wait and see. When the time comes, not only will I have rewards, but Master will also have rewards to give.”

Xu Lan’er finished speaking and finally cut off the transmission.

Pan Qi, holding the transmission jade slip, finally seemed to return to his senses.

Having sat listlessly on the ground for so long, he pressed his palm against the ground and stood up abruptly!

“All of you, get up!”

He shouted at everyone who had been sitting numbly on the cliff wall!

All the Jianzhu Sect disciples were startled.

They didn’t understand what had gotten into Pan Qi.

In the distance, Yan Chensha suddenly had an ominous premonition and alertly stood up slowly.

Pan Qi didn’t turn to look back once. His thin body wrapped in a black robe finally showed a rare vigor.

“Remove the formation at the Blackwind Cave entrance immediately and replace it with the Five Elements Life-Death Formation!”

Everyone was immediately horrified.

The Five Elements Life-Death Formation required over a thousand spirit stones and had extremely great power.

Originally, the Jianzhu Sect had switched to formations with smaller power to reduce expenses in this area. Had Pan Qi gone crazy?!

Facing everyone’s shocked gazes, Pan Qi didn’t explain a single word, only continued instructing: “Everyone, perk up! You on the left column, go up to Sheshen Rock and tell everyone that in at most seven days, we’ll leave the Blackwind Cave and withdraw the formation. Tell them they can come down and wait.”

Everyone looked at each other.

Though they didn’t know what Pan Qi was doing, hearing “leave the Blackwind Cave in at most seven days,” everyone became as excited as if they’d been injected with stimulants, immediately becoming radiant.

My God!

Finally leaving!

In this godforsaken place where birds wouldn’t shit and black wind ran rampant, they’d been here so long they were about to grow fur.

Wave after wave of disappointment, countless spirit stones consumed, that enormous sense of loss had almost driven them crazy.

Now, hearing the word “leave” from Pan Qi’s mouth was like celestial music!

For a moment, some of the more fragile ones almost burst into tears of emotion!

Now, who lacked motivation?

Almost everyone listened to Pan Qi’s words and sprang into action—those setting up formations set up formations, those who were notified went to notify.

Just one sentence awakened everyone’s fighting spirit!

This scene fell into Yan Chensha’s eyes, but it felt indescribably dangerous.

Pan Qi rarely smiled, but it appeared sinister: “Two Yashan seniors, we’ve also spent nearly two years here. If we continue, our Jianzhu Sect can’t hold on either. Just these last seven days—if Senior Jian Chou comes out, that’s naturally our good fortune. If not, our Jianzhu Sect accepts it. Senior Yan has no objections, right?”

Seven days.

What an extremely precise calculation time.

Yan Chensha, being such a shrewd person, almost immediately guessed their intentions!

Slander was one thing, but they also wanted to scheme against martial grand-aunt Jian Chou, preventing her from arriving at Kunwu on time to participate in the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly?

In that instant, Yan Chensha slowly curved his lips upward, showing Pan Qi a warm smile like a spring breeze: “Seven days, our Yashan naturally has no objections.”

During the time these two spoke this sentence, the Jianzhu Sect cultivators below had already pulled out all their family fortunes, including some borrowed earlier from other passing cultivators in the Jianzhu Sect’s name.

Spirit stone after spirit stone was placed in the appropriate positions.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

…

Soon, an entirely new five-colored formation light lit up.

The Five Elements Life-Death Formation sounded simple, but it was a huge trapping and killing formation!

This formation had been used by certain sects as mountain-protecting grand formations, with self-destruction capability at crucial moments to ensure a sect’s safety. Though this current formation couldn’t match the scale of a mountain-protecting grand formation, its structure was identical.

Once someone truly stepped into this formation, if not death, at least severe injury!

For this final gambit, the Jianzhu Sect was going all in.

All the previous times they had been disappointed, but this last time would be different.

They were betting on whether Jian Chou would participate in the Left Three Thousand Small Assembly, betting on whether Yashan wanted her to participate.

As long as either answer was “yes,” then this time, the Jianzhu Sect absolutely wouldn’t lose!

A sure-win gamble!

As the Jianzhu Sect went out to call people, unfamiliar cultivators continuously gathered, waiting for the day the formation would open.

Pan Qi, who had been dejected for so long, was like a fierce hawk, staring motionlessly at the Blackwind Cave entrance. As soon as Jian Chou came out, she absolutely couldn’t escape!

On the cliff wall, Qi Shaofeng could already faintly sense the brewing storm here.

He couldn’t help but look toward Yan Chensha.

What he could sense, Yan Chensha could naturally sense too. Though his brows were tightly furrowed, his fingers were clasped behind his back, lightly tapping the xiao flute.

Tap tap, tap tap.

Everyone was waiting.

All the calm was brewing a storm.

Inside the Blackwind Cave.

Twelve hundred eighty feet!

“Bang!”

A huge azure ice sword rose against the wind, gripped tightly by a pair of pale hands, swinging forward!

Sword light flashed, immediately giving one the feeling of ice and snow everywhere.

Where the sword point directed, all the wind blades rushing along the wind toward the outside suddenly paused at this terrifying sword qi, then “crack crack” froze solid, unable to move an inch!

On that huge ice sword, blue spiritual light continuously flowed.

On the ground, a huge battle disc was still slowly and leisurely rotating, carrying the afterglow of recent madness.

Jian Chou withdrew her stance, holding the ice sword in reverse grip, slowly raising her eyes—

Countless ice blades hung suspended in the air, then were shattered by countless new ice blades flying from behind.

This sword’s power was her greatest gain inside the Blackwind Cave, besides the fifth level of “Human Artifact” body refining—”Black Wind Patterned Bones”!

She named it: Endless Blade!

Walking leisurely forward, Jian Chou slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, weaving through the countless colliding wind blades, step by step toward the front.

Ahead was not the end of the Blackwind Cave, but the end of Zhilin Sou’s recorded map.

Thirteen hundred feet.

Jian Chou had arrived.

Standing at that cave wall, Jian Chou saw the name that appeared every hundred feet after one thousand feet.

“Yashan, Qu Zhengfeng.”

Unrestrained and downright arrogant.

But this time, there were a few more words.

“Sixteen days, stopping at thirteen hundred feet. Looking at peers, who can defeat me?”

Compared to the previous times’ overwhelming momentum, this last sentence had a feeling of surveying the landscape with hands clasped behind one’s back.

Looking at my peers, who can defeat me?

Light as a sigh.

Was he developing some sense of a master’s loneliness?

Jian Chou couldn’t help but snort with laughter.

Ahead lay thirteen hundred feet.

Since Qu Zhengfeng dared call himself first among peer cultivators, clearly having Nascent Soul Peak cultivation, if Jian Chou, with her abilities, could reach thirteen hundred feet, he shouldn’t be unable to advance another inch.

Who can defeat me?

Wasn’t she the closest to this position?

Bragging costs nothing!

Besides, speaking of just thirteen hundred feet—hadn’t she achieved it too? Moreover, she only had late Foundation Establishment cultivation!

So Jian Chou casually, easily carved down one character: “I!”